Why poppies?

 

Why poppies?

In the Flanders Fields of western Belgium in the First World War, constant artillery bombardment churned and ploughed the ground. The severe disruption brought dormant poppy seeds to the surface, enabling them to germinate in the light. In mass cemeteries and wherever the ground had been broached, they grew and bloomed in profusion.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Allusions to war and poppies in Flanders date back to 1693 and the Battle of Landen (Battle of Neerwinden) which was then part of the Spanish Netherlands. In that battle, during the Nine Years’ War (1688-1697) William III was defeated by the French. One combatant wrote, ‘During many months after the ground was strewn with skulls and bones of horses and men . . . The next summer the    soil, fertilised by 20,000 corpses, broke forth into millions of scarlet poppies.’

During the Great War, soldiers saw poppies everywhere, a bright splash of colour in an horrendous setting. Many of them picked the flowers, pressing them to enclose in letters home to their loved ones. There are fragile examples held in the Imperial War Museum. One was sent in a wooden cigar box with a handwritten note that said, ‘Gathered by Jack on the battlefield June 16^th, 1917.’

Among those millions who saw the fields of poppies was a Canadian military doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. The day after seeing his friend die in May 1915, he wrote ‘In Flanders Fields.’ He did not survive the war, but his poem has been memorised and recited through the generations.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

The poppy only became a potent symbol of Remembrance a few years after the end of the war, thanks to the efforts of an American, Moina Belle Michael and a Frenchwoman, Anna Guérin. Moina Michael bought artificial flowers for people to wear on their lapels for Remembrance. Anna Guérin was known as ‘the poppy lady from France.’ She organised a group of French war widows who made silk flowers to sell to raise money for charity. By 1920, the American Legion and other American veterans’ associations adopted the scarlet poppy for Remembrance. They were followed a year later by the Royal British Legion, headed by Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig.

 The first official British Remembrance Day was on 11^th November, 1921, though acts of remembrance had been held across the country in preceding years, including the burial of the Unknown Warrior and the dedication of the Cenotaph in London.

I think this final verse could be adapted for current conditions, not as a call to arms in physical battle, but as a cry to use our common sense. There’s little enough of that in some quarters at present.                              

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Hold the faith!

We will remember them

 

We will remember them

The latest post box topper draws attention to Remembrance Day. It is not a celebration of war and it is pleasing to note that there are purple and white poppies, as well as the more familiar scarlet flowers. The purple poppies symbolise the many animals that have been killed in so many wars. The white poppies represent remembrance for all victims of conflict and a wish for peace. White poppies are often worn by Quakers.

‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.’

These words, the fourth stanza of Robert Laurence Binyon’s ‘Ode of Remembrance,’ are spoken at the Cenotaph in London and at countless village memorials and military bases throughout the world on Remembrance Sunday. It is a solemn, poignant moment and is followed by the deepening quietness of the two-minute silence. Whatever the size of the gathering, it is moving to observe the reverence displayed, in particular by the very old and the extremely young. 

At 11 a.m. on November 11^th, the moment at which the Armistice came into effect in 1918, having been agreed at 05.10.am, many businesses, schools, and other organisations, observe the silence.

It was first observed on November 11^th, 1919, to mark the first anniversary of the cessation of the First World War. It was initiated by King George V, who issued a proclamation appealing for a two-minute silence ‘to remember the fallen.’ The first minute was to remember those who had died in conflict, soldiers, and civilians alike, and the second was to give thought to those left behind, the maimed and the bereaved, who must continue with their altered lives.

Laurence Binyon wrote ‘For the Fallen’ in September 1914, a few weeks after war was declared when many casualties had been suffered at the Battles of Mons and Le Cateau and the First Battle of the Marne.

In 1915, aged forty-six, he volunteered as a hospital orderly in France and later, in England, cared for the returned wounded from the ten-month long Battle of Verdun.

Cher Ami

 

Cher Ami

Cher Ami on display at the Smithsonian Institution

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Last night we were watching Guy Ritchie’s 2024 television series, ’The Gentlemen’. It is by turns funny, dark, unbelievable, hysterical and actually very entertaining, with a cast of very good actors playing interesting characters. It was one of those characters, played by Ray Winstone, who mentioned Cher Ami (Dear Friend) and his role in WWI.

Cher Ami was a homing pigeon, one of 600 donated by the British Home Forces Pigeon Service to the U.S. Army Signal Corps.  Pigeons were used to carry messages when it was difficult to use other methods of communication, either because telephone lines had been cut or it was too dangerous to use human runners.

During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in October 1918, a battalion of the 77^th Division, under the command of Major Charles W. Whittlesey, became separated from other American troops and found themselves surrounded by the enemy for five days. The 594 troops became known as the Lost Battalion, as Allied Commanders could not locate their position. Seven messages were sent by pigeons, one with incorrect coordinates, resulting in the battalion being attacked by their own side, believing them to be a regiment of German soldiers. Some pigeons were shot and killed.

Eventually, the last pigeon, Cher Ami, was dispatched with a message attached to his leg. As he flew, he was shot but managed to continue his flight and deliver the message, which read, ‘We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it.’

Cher Ami was very badly wounded; his right leg, holding the message canister, was almost severed, he was blind in one eye and had a severe wound in his breast. Army medics treated him and he survived, though he lost his leg. He was taken to the USA with other surviving homing pigeons, but never fully recovered from his injuries, dying a year later.

Because of his determination to complete his mission, the bombardment was stopped and 194 survivors of the Lost Battalion were rescued and returned to American lines. The French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre for bravery on the battlefield. The Animals in War and Peace Medal of Bravery was bestowed on him in 2019, and in 1931 he was posthumously inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame.

The story is not inconclusively verified, since many pigeons were used, and there are contradictory reports of events. What is known is that Cher Ami had already successfully flown twelve other missions, proving his worth and deservedly gaining his reputation as a symbol of courage under fire.

In gratitude, when Cher Ami died, the Signal Corps chose to have his body preserved and presented to the Smithsonian Institution in 1921.

Homing pigeons are remarkable birds and can fly hundreds of miles to their home lofts. They were employed in both World Wars and there were documented incidences of pigeons walking when they could no longer fly, so strong was the instinct to reach their home loft.

A few years ago, a Scottish racing pigeon landed in our garden and stayed for a few days. We feared the local wood pigeons might attack it, but it was perfectly at home among them. 

Cher Ami was hatched on April 21^st 1918 in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England. He died in New Jersey, USA, on June 13^th 1919 – a short but valued and valuable life.

ABC Wednesday - J is for Jutland

The Battle of Jutland (known in German as Skagerrakschlacht) took place on 31^st May 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark between the Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy’s High Seas Fleet. The Royal Navy’s objective was to defend the North Sea and to prevent the Imperial Naval Fleet from infiltrating the Atlantic and attempting to immobilise Britain’s merchant shipping.

Grand Fleet, Jutland

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

It was the largest naval battle of WWI and though the Royal Navy lost more men and ships (14 ships and around 6,000 lives) than the Germans (11 ships and about 2,500 casualties) the conclusion was that the Imperial German Fleet was defeated. The fleet was unable and in any case would have been unwilling to engage in fleet to fleet fighting for the duration of the war and relied increasingly on submarine warfare but the Royal Navy remained a potent fighting force.

At the beginning of the war the Royal Navy had more ships than their opponents. Realising that they were unlikely to gain victory in full fleet battle, the Germans decided on a strategy of ensnaring smaller groups in order to defeat them.

A series of incorrect messages and poor communication between ships led to more British losses than might have been forecast. For example, much of the most critical signalling was carried out with flags and lamps rather than by wireless. They were strange methods to rely on in misty conditions and with smoke issuing from the stacks of the coal-fired warships.

The battle was the first one in which an aircraft carrier was used. The single British 

craft carried a seaplane.

Four Victoria Crosses were awarded - only one recipient survived the battle.

Joyful Denise Nesbitt and her Jolly crew organise this weekly meme. Click here to see more Js.

ABC Wednesday – C is for Cunningham

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Andrew Browne Cunningham was born in 1883 and grew up to join the Royal Navy where he was known affectionately as ‘ABC’. He cut his teeth as a Midshipman during the Boer War and in the First World War commanded the destroyer HMS Scorpion. During this time he was decorated with the DSO and two bars.

Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum

He became the most famous British admiral during the Second World War, assuming the post of Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet in 1939. His flagship was HMS Warspite.

As C-in-C, ABC’s main concerns were for the safety of Malta and of convoys heading to Egypt.  In 1940 and 1941 he was victorious at Calabria, Taranto and Cape Matapan and gave invaluable support, without air cover, in the face of relentless bombardment from the Luftwaffe, to the evacuation of thousands of troops from Greece and Crete in April and May, 1941. The fleet suffered severe losses – three cruisers and six destroyers were sunk and fifteen more warships were damaged – but heeded his command that the ‘Navy must not let the army down.’ (His younger brother, incidentally, was General Sir Alan Cunningham)

He served under and was highly regarded by General Dwight D Eishenhower, who appointed him Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force. In his diary Eisenhower wrote:

"Admiral Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham. He remains in my opinion at the top of my subordinates in absolute selflessness, energy, devotion to duty, knowledge of his task, and in understanding of the requirements of allied operations. My opinions as to his superior qualifications have never wavered for a second."

As Supreme Commander Cunningham commanded the large fleet that covered Operation Torch (the Anglo-American landings in North Africa)

In 1943 he became the First Sea Lord, a post he filled until his retirement three years later. In this position he was responsible for the overall strategy of the navy for the rest of the war. In 1945 he was raised to the peerage, taking the title Baron Cunningham of Hyndhope and one year later became Viscount Cunningham.

In his retirement he attended the House of Lords, twice served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and participated in the coronation of Elizabeth II as Lord High Steward.

He died suddenly after a meeting at the Admiralty in June 1963 and was given a naval burial off Nab Tower, Portsmouth, his body being consigned to the deep from HMS Hampshire.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

There is a bust of Cunningham in Trafalgar Square. It was unveiled by Prince Philip in 1967. 

Charming Denise Nesbitt and her Careful, Conscientious Collaborators organise this weekly Cheery Challenge. Look for more Cs here.

The Spirit of Dunkirk

The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships is marking the 70th anniversary of Operation Dynamo by returning the original 'Little Ships' once more to Dunkirk. The flotilla of around fifty set sail from Ramsgate, Kent, at 0700 BST and expects to arrive at its destination around 4:00 pm. These small craft have been lovingly and painstakingly restored and preserved over the decades. They include fishing trawlers, pleasure craft, paddle steamers and lifeboats. They are being escorted by the Royal Navy frigate HMS Monmouth and the RNLI is providing a lifeboat escort.

This photograph of some of the 'Little Ships' was taken at Chatham Navy Days in 2002.

Photo courtesy of Colin Smith, Wikimedia Commons

On Saturday 29^th May a commemorative service will be conducted at the Allied memorial on Dunkirk beach. A minute's silence will be followed by the playing of the national anthems of Britain, the Czech Republic, France and Belgium, the countries whose troops were rescued seventy years ago.Operation Dynamo was planned in the Secret Wartime Tunnels of Dover Castle. Churchill estimated that only 30,000 to 40,000 troops would be rescued, but in the event 338,000 were evacuated. He later described the operation as 'a miracle of deliverance.' The manoeuvre gave rise to the expression 'The Dunkirk Spirit' meaning indefatigable British determination and courage in the face of adversity and apparently insurmountable odds.

The Royal Naval ships had to wait off-shore in deeper water and the 'Little Ships' played their part by getting closer in to land so that they could transport troops to the larger vessels. Many soldiers made their journey back to Ramsgate in the smaller craft.

The original 1940 fleet of 900 naval and civilian craft made their hazardous journey across the English Channel (La Manche to the French) under the protection of the RAF. They had to avoid minefields and were fired on by the Luftwaffe whenever the weather allowed. The evacuation of Dunkirk is fittingly remembered as a victory over tremendous odds and it is right and proper that such events should be remembered.

(On a more personal note Barry's father had a cousin who was killed at Dunkirk. He was his parents' only son. His father, Barry's great-uncle, fought in the First World War and had been blinded in a gas attack. Barry met him only once and was shown this grand old man's collection of WWI shell cases – a display that made a deep impression on a young boy. His wife was German and the family history reports that she died of shame shortly after her son's death because of what her country had done – blinding her husband in the first war and then killing their son in the second. Poor woman!)